It’ll be under familiar terms when Oregon meets Stanford in Autzen Stadium Saturday. Regardless if the Cardinal come in unranked and with three losses to its credit, the matchup will put the winner in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 North crown.

Which is concerning for Mark Helfrich and his coaching staff, considering the last two times the Ducks have met Stanford either home or away, they have seen undefeated seasons torn to shreds by a well-established rushing attack and a vaunted defense that has held the Ducks to 17 points per game in their last two meetings.

Despite those differences between Stanford’s win-loss column from year’s past, the game may follow the same storyline, too. Stanford currently ranks second in the nation both in points allowed (12.5) and yards allowed per game (250.6). To match that, Oregon ranks first in the Pac-12 in total yards per game, averaging 534.9 yards and has consistently brought with it a dominant run-game in the three weeks following its first loss.

Here’s a look at the match-ups and players to watch:

Oregon’s offensive line vs. Stanford’s front seven:

Upon Jake Fisher’s return, the Oregon rushing attack has averaged 246.6 rushing yards per game in its last three weeks. Royce Freeman has rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back weeks and as far as finding a rhythm, the Ducks seem to be constantly progressing on offense. However, Stanford’s defense currently allows just 90.6 yards per game on the ground and linebackers like AJ Tarpley and Blake Martinez lead the team in tackles with 113 between the two.

If anything has been certain this year, it’s that when Oregon struggles moving the football on the ground, the rest of its game suffers. This matchup between Oregon’s offensive line and Stanford’s front seven could go a long way in deciding how this game is played. If Oregon is forced into a number of three-and-outs as the game moves along, it could put the game into the hands of the conservative moving offense of Stanford’s, which hasn’t bade well in the past.

Stanford’s rushing attack vs. Oregon defense: 

This is where the stat sheet explains why Stanford isn’t the team that has gone to back-to-back Rose Bowls. Replacing Tyler Gaffney has been much more difficult than anticipated and the lead Cardinal running back has rushed the ball 69 times for just 326 yards. To put it into perspective, Gaffney rushed the ball 45 times in this matchup alone last year. However, Oregon’s defense has continued to struggle this season and working against those heavy packages that David Shaw loves to incorporate will be a challenge nonetheless.

Players to Watch: 

Oregon:  

Royce Freeman: 

Scott Frost said after Oregon’s game against Cal that if its one running back he’s seen in his tenure with the Ducks to rush the ball 20 times a game, it’s Freeman. The true freshman continues to elevate his game and his consecutive 100-yard rushing games is evidence of that. Pitted against a defense like Stanford’s, it seems likely that the bruiser will receive the ball constantly and play a big role in how efficient Oregon’s offense is.

Stanford: 

Kevin Hogan: 

Despite his shortcoming this season, Kevin Hogan is 2-0 in his career against Oregon. He has struggled though this year and stats have been pedestrian at best. If his performance continues to follow the same script it has for the first eight games of the season, it will be difficult for Stanford to gain any sort of control of the game. Yet if his play reflects the way he has played in previous years, Stanford has a shot.

Follow Justine Wise on Twitter @jwise25